Some say we are not too far off from the reality depicted in A24’s latest movie to drop on HBO & Max. We can only hope that they are wrong. CIVIL WAR is a dystopian thriller showing that the United States is once again not united to the point of another Civil War. This time it breaks out over different political ideologies other than the issue of slavery. The movie plays through the journey of a few journalists as they make their way from NYC to D. C. to reach the President before the capital city is overtaken. It is an acclaimed work that just might stab too close to the bone. Again, hopefully, we are far removed from this reality.
This 109-minute actioner stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. Under the direction of Alex Garland (director of Ex Machina; writer of 28 Days Later films), this movie is one of A24’s top three most successful films. It has received some top accolades as well. We’ll touch on those, but first some plot:
In the near future, a civil war engulfs the United States. An authoritarian federal government is embattled by secessionist movements. It is widely expected that the ultimate battle strike will happen in Washington, D.C. as the Western Forces advance. Jaded veteran war photographer Lee Smith (Dunst) and journalist colleague Joel (Moura) meet with their mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) to share their plan of interviewing the isolated president. Tagging along is a greenhorn journalist named Jessie (Spaeny). Along the route, they meet sniper fire,hot-heated locals, and mass graves. They end up being embedded with the Western Forces as they advance to the capital city. What has happened to the state of our Union? Who prevails when the dissidents reach D. C.? Will we witness a cease-fire, a glimpse of hope, or a new world order?
Critics across the board have said that it is convincing and disturbing, but as with any film, there are positive & negative reviews. The Hollywood Reporter stated, “With the precision and length of its violent battle sequences, it’s clear Civil War operates as a clarion call. Garland wrote the film in 2020 as he watched cogs 
on America’s self-mythologizing exceptionalist machine turn, propelling the nation into a nightmare. With this latest film, he sounds the alarm, wondering less about how a country walks blindly into its own destruction and more about what happens when it does.” Detroit News remarked, “The movie is designed not to please but to provoke, and it captures a world turned upside down with the same remove as a war photographer’s camera.” In contrast, Deadline offers, “The script’s utilization of characters of color as conduits for brutality needed to be explored further … Ultimately, Civil War feels like a missed opportunity. The director’s vision of a fractured America, embroiled in conflict, holds the potential for introspection on our current societal divisions. However, the film’s execution, hampered by thin characterization, a lackluster narrative and an overreliance on spectacle over substance, left me disengaged.”
So, the story may not offer us a why-it-all-happens but a this-is-what-it-looks-like -when-it -does kind of vibe, but disturbing nevertheless. Find CIVIL WAR playing on HBO and Max.
